Forever and Always
by pyps
Summary: "I'll love you forever Kenz, no matter what happens or where I am. I promise." Based on the song Forever and Always by Parachute.
1. Chapter 1

Where was he? He was supposed to be here an hour ago. Kensi checked out the window again but his car still wasn't in the driveway, and there were no headlights coming down the street.

The boys had gone out for drinks after a long day at the office. Kensi had been invited but she wasn't feeling too well so she decided to pass on it. He said not to wait up for him—he hated keeping her up—but she didn't mind. She had spent most of her adult life falling asleep alone, but she'd grown accustomed to feeling his warm body next to hers, his arms wrapped around her and his breath on her neck. She knew she would just lie awake in bed until he got home, so she might as well stay up and watch TV or something. Yes, that's what she'd do. In all honesty it wasn't that late, and knowing the boys they probably got caught up in something or other and were running late.

She turned on the TV and browsed the channels until she found a station playing _America's Next Top Model_ reruns. As she watched she smiled a little thinking about the night Deeks found out this was one of her favorite shows. He had given her so much crap about it but it didn't take long to get him hooked on it.

Halfway through the episode she could feel her eyelids getting heavy and finally closing.

Kensi jerked awake. Reruns were over and she wasn't sure what was on but it didn't look that appealing. She turned off the box and checked the clock. She'd been asleep for nearly two hours.

Where was Deeks?

She stood and checked the little bungalow, thinking that maybe he had a little too much to drink and just went straight to bed without waking her, or even realizing she was on the couch. It wouldn't be the first time and he would hear about it in the morning that was for sure. But when she got to the bedroom she found it just as empty as before. Curious, she went outside but saw no sign of the detective or his car.

Something was wrong. She tried to tell herself not to overreact, that she was just being paranoid, but something in the back of her mind, and in the pit of her stomach, was telling her that wasn't the case.

She pulled out her phone and dialed his cell. After the third ring it went to voicemail.

_"You've reached Detective Marty Deeks. Leave a message and I'll call you back. If this is Kensi, it won't be long now."_

Kensi smiled. She remembered the day he changed the greeting on his voicemail. She told him how anxious she was, how much she hated waiting, how much she just wanted it to be done so she wouldn't have to wait anymore. She had called him after a particularly trying day and when she heard that message she couldn't help but smile. Sometimes when she found herself feeling discouraged she would call his phone, knowing full well he wouldn't pick up for one reason or another, just to hear him say it. _It won't be long,_ four simple words but hidden in that message were so many more words, words that didn't need to be expressed because he knew, and so did she.

Her phone beeped and she saw it light up with a missed call from Deeks. It was hours ago, just after they had parted ways she was sure. Ugh, she hated when her phone did that. It wasn't the first time she missed a call and her phone chose not to tell her until hours later. She decided to talk to Hetty about the possibility of getting a new phone on Monday.

She played the message.

_"Hey babe, it's me. You feeling alright? I know you've been feeling sick the last few days. It's not that time is it?" _Kensi rolled her eyes. Trust Deeks... _"Anyway, the reason I called..."_

Her phone started ringing and she checked the ID. It was Callen.

Suddenly she was overcome with fear. Why was he calling her? She didn't want to answer—maybe it was nothing and he would just leave a message—but something told her to pick up.

"Hello," Kensi said, trying to keep her voice calm in spite of her pounding heart.

"Kenz," Callen said and immediately her heart dropped into her stomach. He was worried, she could hear it.

"What happened?" she asked, bracing herself for whatever Callen was about to tell her.

"You've gotta get to Pacific Beach. Deeks has been shot."

The world seemed to slow down until it was nothing but a blur. She felt her head spin a little and she had to sit down before she fell over. Deeks was shot. It wasn't the first time. He'd been shot before—ironically enough he'd been sent to Pacific Beach Medical that time too—but there was something different about it this time. She didn't know what, but it was different.

"Kenz? You okay?"

"I'm on my way." She hung up the phone and hurried inside to grab her keys.

As she drove Kensi could feel the weight of the silver band on her finger. The diamond caught the orange of the street lights and the occasional red and green of the stoplights. She soon found herself thinking back to four months before...

_They had been officially seeing each other for three months now. Sam and Callen knew, as did Nell and Eric, and they suspected Hetty did too. But, none of them ever said anything about it, never gave them a hard time or lectured them about inner-office relationships. They just continued their work like there was nothing going on which Deeks and Kensi were extremely grateful for. They had an agreement: as long as they didn't let their relationship get in the way of their work, they'd keep it. _

_ But that week had been hard. Kensi had gone undercover, pretending to be interested in their suspect so they could catch him, the usual. But things got out of hand, and when the guys came in to help Deeks very nearly lost it. If she hadn't intervened she was sure he would have at least beat the crap out of the guy, if not shot him. _

_ They didn't talk for the next two days and Kensi began to worry they had hit that point, the point where they'd either have to say goodbye to their relationship, or their partnership, neither one sounded appealing. _

_ Then he caught her after work._

_ "We have to talk," he said in all seriousness. Something caught in Kensi's throat but she simply nodded. _

_ "Over dinner okay?"_

_ "That's fine."_

_ "'Kay, I'll pick you up at seven."_

_ Again, she nodded. He was trying to make it seem like nothing, just simple conversation to be discussed over a nice dinner, but she wasn't fooled. It wasn't the first time a guy had pulled the "we need to talk" card, she certainly was no stranger to what it meant. She had hoped however that it would never come to that with her and Deeks, or at least if it did that it would be further down the road. _

_ That night she got dressed up like it was any other date but all the while she had to fight back tears that threatened to fall, telling herself Deeks was just like any other guy, that she was strong enough to get through this. A tiny voice in the back of her mind kept hinting that she really wasn't, that she would be devastated if he ended it and that honestly, she wasn't sure how well she would cope with it all. She hadn't cared for someone this much since her fiance, and even he didn't know her as well as Deeks did. _

_ He pulled up at 7:15—typical, he had a knack for showing up late—dressed in a tux and looking handsome as ever. He held the car door open for her and then they drove off in silence. _

_ She looked over at him but his eyes were fixed on the road in front of him, never deviating, even for a second. Yes, he was going to end it, it was the only logical explanation for his behavior. He was going to end it and he was terrified of how she would react. Probably thought she would take him down, nothing serious, just enough to make him understand that nobody broke up with her and walked away without a little pain. _

_ That just made it hurt worse. Did he think that? Did he think she would be so unfeeling she would just beat him up and walk away like what they had was nothing? Sure she wasn't the conventional girl, not like others he had dated, but she was still a human being with hopes and feelings. _

_ She mentally shook herself. Don't let it get to you, she thought to herself. If you're lucky you'll get through this whole ordeal without a problem and then you can cry yourself to sleep when you get home. _

_ After driving for nearly twenty minutes she began wondering where they were going. There were only one or two possible restaurants this far out where he would take her but he took a right turn where he should have made a left._

_ "Where are we going?" she asked._

_ "You'll see," he said, still watching the road. _

_ Now she was confused. They were supposed to be going to dinner, so what was he doing? Unless he just said they were going to dinner, and really he was just going to break it to her while they drove around the city. But hadn't he gone through the trouble to get dressed up himself? She understood wanting to keep up the charade, but this was Deeks; he wouldn't get dressed up like this just to go for a drive._

_ Deeks turned the car again and Kensi found they had arrived at the beach. Her eyebrows knit together as she tried to think of some rational explanation, but none came. He got out of the car, walked around to her side and opened the door. She stared at his outstretched hand a moment before taking it. _

_ They walked to the sand and Kensi found herself mentally cursing Deeks for making her walk in the sand with heels. Before she could say anything though they stopped and she stared at the sight before her._

_ There was a round table set up with two dinner places, candles sitting in the middle, their flames flickering a little from the ocean breeze, and a small radio playing some kind of soft music. But the most surprising part of all was Callen and Sam, also dressed in tuxedos, standing beside the table, smiles on their faces. Standing on the other side were Nell and Eric, also dressed up with smiles on their faces. _

_ "What...?" she began but couldn't find the words._

_ Deeks just smiled, that cocky smile he always had, but there was something in his eyes, something deeper than humor or affection. He led her the rest of the way to the table and pulled her chair out for her. Once she was settled he took his seat on the other side of the table. _

_ Right away Nell and Eric presented the two with what would be their menus for the evening, and Sam and Callen, acting the part of waiters, helped them with their napkins. Sam gave Kensi a wink and she found herself more flustered than before._

_ "What in the world is going on?" She asked leaning forward and looking Deeks straight in the eye._

_ "Dinner," he said simply, gesturing to the set up._

_ "I get that, but the beach? And with Sam and Callen for waiters? Did they lose a bet or something?"_

_ "Believe it or not, they volunteered."_

_ Kensi shook her head slightly, still not understanding._

_ "I think, Ms Blye," Kensi jumped at the sound of Hetty's voice. Where did she come from? Seriously, Kensi hadn't even seen her a moment ago. "You would do well not to question and simply enjoy the evening."_

_ She wanted to protest but gave in. It was strange to have the rest of the team serving them, particularly if this was supposed to be a "break up" dinner. Did Deeks want everyone else to know they were ending this? But the more Kensi looked at the facts the harder it was for her to believe this was in fact a "break up" dinner. _

_ After the meal Deeks stood and held his hand out to her._

_ "Where are we going now?" she asked taking his hand._

_ Deeks looked over at Nell who pressed play on the radio and turned up the volume. A song Kensi didn't recognize came through the speakers and floated over to them, the deep voice going on about not holding back and so on. Deeks took her hand in his, placing her other on his shoulder and then his own hand at her waist. Kensi had removed her shoes during dinner and was grateful for it now. Walking in the sand while wearing heels was bad enough, dancing would have been a real challenge. _

_ As the song went on Deeks leaned his head forward a little, resting it against hers and she couldn't help closing her eyes at the touch. It was a simple thing, yet it seemed to speak volumes. _

_ It was nearing the end of the song and Deeks pulled his head back to look her in the eye._

_ "I love you," he said simply. He didn't just say it with his mouth, but with his eyes. She could see the truth of his statement and she couldn't help the few tears that came to her eyes._

_ "I love you," she replied, smiling up at him._

_ "Could you do me a favor then?"_

_ She was caught off guard. A favor? What favor could he possibly be asking for?_

_ "Sure," she said though her tone was slightly suspicious. _

_ They stopped moving but Deeks didn't break eye contact._

_ "Kensi," he began. "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. Of all the people I've known, all the women I've dated, none of them has meant as much to me as you. I never felt as much love in my life for anyone or anything as I do just looking at you. When things are wrong, you walk into the room and I can't help feeling better. You make me feel like I matter, like I belong." He paused his speech as he dropped down to one knee. Her heart was racing and she couldn't stop her hand from rising to face in surprise. "Kensi," he continued, taking her free hand in his and smiling up at her. "I want to spend the rest of my life falling asleep with you beside me and waking up to you every morning. There's no one else in this world I would rather share my life with. So I'm asking you a favor. I'm not perfect, I can be annoying and a real pain in the neck, but I know that if I can't have you as mine, in spite of it all, then I would be the most miserable man alive. Kensi Blye, please do me the favor, the honor, of becoming my wife."_

_ She was speechless, in complete shock. But it only took a moment for her to come to her senses and, smiling ear to ear, happily tell him, "Yes."_


	2. Chapter 2

She finally reached the hospital and hurried inside. She ran to the front desk and was about to ask the receptionist where he was when she saw Sam and Callen out of the corner of her eye.

"Sam, Callen!" She made her way over to them. "Where is he? Is he okay?"

"He's still in the ER," Sam said though his voice seemed heavy.

"Eric, Nell, and Hetty are on their way over," Callen told her.

There was definitely something wrong, she could see it in their eyes, hear it in their voices.

"How bad is it?" she asked quietly.

The two agents looked at each other, silently discussing how to tell her. It made her angry. Why couldn't they just tell her right out? He was her fiance, she deserved to know!

"Kenz," Sam began but seemed to lose his words.

"They're not sure he's going to make it," Callen said, voicing what Sam was struggling to say.

Her heart dropped into her stomach and the tears began filling her eyes. She shook her head, not wanting to believe it.

"He's stable right now," Sam said. "But he needs surgery, and every time they try to move him he starts crashing again. They're trying to get the surgeons to come down here but he wasn't the only one hurt and there were others that needed surgery as well."

_No, no, no, this can't be happening,_ she thought to herself. _The wedding is just a month away. He can't die on me, not now._

Callen gently placed an arm on her shoulder. "He's been asking for you," he said.

"He's awake?" Maybe she could find some way to keep him fighting.

"He's in and out of consciousness," Sam stated. "But he keeps saying your name. We told the doctor's you were on your way, and they said you can see him once you got here."

She nodded and the two led her down the hallway towards Deeks' ER room. They explained what happened—some crazy guy came into the bar they were at and started firing a gun. Nobody really knew why he was there but Deeks, Callen and Sam all tried to talk him down, being as there were civilians and they were the only other people in the bar that were armed. The guy was about to shoot some girl near Deeks and he went to move her out of the way. The girl wasn't hurt, unfortunately Deeks took every single one of the shots. Three to be exact. Sam and Callen pulled their weapons and took out the gunman. When they saw Deeks was hit, they immediately called 911.

She couldn't believe it. This was the second time Deeks got shot while off duty. What was that all about? He's almost as bad as Callen when it comes to being a danger magnet.

They reached the room where Deeks was and Kensi stopped at the door, not sure if she wanted to go in. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked at Sam who gave her a sad smile. She looked at Callen and he gave her a nod. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

It wasn't very bright in the room, which made it seem all the more foreboding. There were machines beeping as the monitors displayed his heart beat. He was lying on the table, a sheet covering him from mid-torso to his toes. His eyes were closed. He seemed to be at peace. But his face was far too pale for the tanned LAPD surfer she loved.

She walked over to him and placed her hand over his. He stirred and ever so slowly his eyes began to open. He looked up at her and she felt something catch in her throat. The brilliant sparkle in his eyes was gone. Now they were empty, practically devoid of life. But then he smiled and it seemed to ignite their twinkle again.

"Hey stranger," he said quietly, his lips parting just enough to get the words out.

"Hey yourself," she replied, trying to keep her voice as light as possible. It was hard; she was fighting back her emotions at seeing him like this while trying to be happy and glad to see him. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been shot," he joked and she smiled. Trust Deeks to crack a joke at the darkest time. He had told her once that he tried to diffuse tense situations with humor. If there was any moment to be tense, any moment that needed to be diffused, it was this one.

"Well you took three bullets idiot."

"Only three? You sure 'cause I swear it feels like at least ten times that many."

"Deeks if you'd taken that many you'd have been DOA." She paused, and swallowed back the emotions.

He squeezed her hand a little. "I guess you're right, as usual."

Kensi couldn't look at him, not if she wanted to keep back the tears threatening to fall. He was quiet a moment. She gave in and looked at him as his face grew grim with seriousness. "Kensi, I have to tell you..."

"Save it," she told him. "You don't have to tell me anything right now. We've got the rest of our lives together to tell each other any and everything. Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow."

"It might be too late..."

"Don't Deeks, don't you dare say it. You're not going to tell me whatever it is because you have to focus on getting better so that you can help me with all of this wedding stuff. We've got a month left and there's way too much for me to do on my own. You..."

"Kensi."

It was a plea, and a serious one at that. She understood what he was saying and shook her head. "No," she said. "Not going to happen." She paused trying to think of something, anything, that might get him to keep fighting. "You know," she said, "years down the road we'll tell our kids about this. How you went and got yourself shot a month before the wedding and practically gave me a heart attack."

Deeks smiled. "And they'll probably make some wise crack about me doing it on purpose because I got cold feet."

"That would be your son making that comment."

"No way, it'll be your daughter."

She laughed a little. "You're probably right."

Deeks smiled. "She'll look just like you too. Dark hair, dark eyes."

"I don't know about that. I think she'll have your eyes."

"Hmm, she'd really be a catch then, wouldn't she?"

"Definitely. And he'll have your hair and cocky grin."

Deeks smiled again, displaying the very grin she was describing. "And we'll have a house by the beach and I'll teach them how to surf."

"No way, our kids are learning self defense before they learn how to surf."

"Fair enough. I guess I'd feel better about our daughter dating if I knew she could take out guys twice her build without a problem. Just like her mom."

Kensi couldn't help it anymore. The tears fell and she leaned her head on his chest as she sobbed. Deeks lifted his hand up and stroked her head.

"Shh, it'll be okay," he said and she could hear a tremor in his voice. She looked up at him and saw the tears in his eyes.

"You can't leave me Deeks," she said. "Not right now. I still owe you a favor, remember?"

He smiled sadly at her. "Don't worry about it." His chin trembled. "I don't want to go Kenz."

"Then don't, please."

"Not sure I have much say in it at this point."

"You can fight Deeks, you can fight to stay alive. You..."

"Kenz."

There it was again, the pleading. She continued to sob quietly, not willing to accept that this was the end. It couldn't be, not after everything. They still had so much to do.

She felt his hand on the side of her face. She looked up. He was so pale.

"My only regret," he said quietly as his tears finally found an escape, "is that I never made you Mrs. Marty Deeks."

"I think we can remedy that."

Kensi turned towards the door to find Hetty standing there, Callen and Sam behind her and someone Kensi didn't recognize.

"This is Father Mathews, he is the chaplain here," Hetty explained. "I thought we might be in need of his services."

Kensi wiped at her eyes and stood straight. "Thank you Hetty," she said.

They entered the room and to Kensi's surprise Nell and Eric were there also. She was glad they came.

"Looks like the whole gang is here," Deeks said weakly, a smile crossing his face.

"We were there for the proposal," Callen replied. "It was the least we could do to be here for the ceremony."

Deeks wanted to say more, but it caught in his throat with all of the emotions he was feeling, so he simply nodded. When he was able to speak, he looked at Kensi and said, "I'm sorry your mom isn't here."

"We've actually got that covered, too," Eric said pulling out his tablet. "We knew your mom was out of the country so when Hetty told us what was happening we were able to track her down." He turned the tablet around to reveal Kensi's mother Julia on webcam.

"Mom," Kensi said, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Hey sweetie," Julia sobbed. "I am so sorry..."

Kensi shook her head. "It's okay, mom."

"I'm getting on the next flight back to LA, but it doesn't leave for a couple of hours."

Kensi nodded.

"Are we ready?" Father Mathews asked.

"I don't have the rings," Deeks said a look of concern on his face. Hetty pulled out a small bag and emptied its contents into her hand.

"I took the liberty of stopping by your place to pick these up," she said. "I thought they could be of use."

"You thought of everything."

"One should always be prepared for whatever life has to throw at us." She turned to Father Mathews. "You may begin."

Father Mathews straightened. "Dearly beloved," he began. "We are gathered here to join these two people in holy matrimony."

Deeks took Kensi's hand and gripped it tight.

"The decision to marry is not one to be made lightly and should be considered with the utmost respect for each other. I have seen many men and women, young and old, stand at the alter and make commitments to each other only to break those promises when things became to hard. Love bound by the fires of tribulation is the strongest kind of love you can find. I can see for myself that you two have such a love."

Kenzi looked down at Deeks and he smiled at her. As Father Mathews continued to read the vows she thought of the fires they had been through. From their rocky start, through all of the cases they worked, through dating and their engagement, and finally, this night. It hadn't been easy, but it had been worth it.

"I do," Deeks said when it was time. Kenzi let out a laugh. Six months ago she would never have imagined hearing Deeks say those two words to her. Six months ago she would never have imagined Deeks proposing either, but it had happened just the same, and here they were, saying their I Do's.

"I do," Kensi said and Deeks squeezed her hand tighter the biggest smile he could muster on his face. She returned the gesture.

"By the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Kensi leaned down and pressed her lips to Deeks. It was their first kiss as husband and wife, and she couldn't help feeling it would be their last as well.

When she pulled away she heard Nell and her mother sniffling. She looked up at the rest of her team, her friends, and found there were no dry eyes in the room. Even Sam's eyes were brimming with tears.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Father Mathews said. "I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Marty Deeks."

Everyone clapped politely and the tears rolled down their cheeks.

"I love you both!" Julia said. "I will see you soon, alright?"

Kensi nodded. "Sounds good."

Deeks lifted his hand a little. "Thank you," he said. Julia blew them a kiss and the transmission ended. The detective released a deep shaky breath and Kensi looked at him. He smiled.

"Mrs. Marty Deeks," he said. "That's gotta be the best sound in the world."

Something's wrong, Kensi thought as Deeks eyelids seemed to grow heavier and heavier with each passing second.

"No, no, no," she said gripping his hand and leaning close to him as the beeps on the heart monitor began to slow.

"It's okay," Deeks said weakly. "Everything... will be..."

"It's not okay. I need you, please hold on."

"I'm not going anywhere. Not really."

She laid her head on his chest and sobbed. He ran his fingers through her hair.

"I'll love you forever Kenz, no matter what happens or where I am. I promise."

"I can't do this alone," she replied.

"You won't be. They'll always be there for you. So will I."

She wanted to say something more but couldn't find the words. His hold on her hand loosened until it was no longer there and the continuous blare of the heart monitor seemed to cut like a knife straight through her heart.

Kensi looked at the lifeless form of her partner, her husband, and it took every ounce of strength she could muster not to collapse to the floor in a pathetic heap.

"I love you," she whispered and then kissed his forehead.


	3. Chapter 3

Kensi awoke with a start. She looked at the clock. 4:53 am. She rubbed her eyes and lay her head back on the pillow. She reached over for Deeks but remembered he wasn't there. He wouldn't be there ever again.

Pushing the thought to the back of her mind she climbed out of bed and made her way to the kitchen. She filled a glass with water, took a sip, and realized she wasn't all that thirsty. Mostly, she just needed something normal, something routine that fit with her life before today.

"You okay?"

She jumped slightly at the sound of Callen's voice. She had forgotten he was there.

"Yeah," she said turning to give him a slight smile.

"You sure?"

She nodded and then looked around her living room. Eric had fallen asleep upright on the couch with Nell's head in his lap. Sam had fallen asleep in a chair near the door. Hetty had been there earlier on, but she left just before Kensi had fallen asleep.

"Thank you for staying," Kensi told the senior agent.

"That's what family is for," Callen replied.

She smiled. It wasn't much, but she took comfort in knowing that over the past few years her team had become her family.

"Well, goodnight," Kensi said and returned to her room.

The minutes on the clock ticked away but sleep did not come. Every time she closed her eyes images of Deeks lying on that ER table came flashing into her mind. She tried not to think about it. She didn't _want_ to think about it, but there seemed to be no escape from it.

It was then that Kensi remembered the message Deeks had left for her. She had only gotten part way through it before Callen called before.

She took out her phone and found the message. For a moment she hesitated, not sure if she could handle listening to his voice right then. But she had to. She had to hear it one last time at least.

_"Hey babe, it's me. You feeling alright? I know you've been feeling sick the last few days. It's not that time is it? Anyway, the reason I called is I just wanted to tell you how much I love you. I mean it. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me and I am the luckiest guy in the world to have you." _There was a pause and then he chuckled. _"Honestly I don't even know why I'm saying all of this. You ever had one of those moments when you know you have to say or do something, but you don't know why? Yeah, I'm just babbling on and I'm probably not making any sense so I'm going to go. I love you forever Kenz. Remember, it won't be long."_

The message ended and Kensi found herself unable to hold back the tears. She felt as if someone had ripped her heart from her chest and blasted it into millions of little pieces. It hurt, more than Jack leaving her, more than losing Dom. The last time she felt this bad was the day she learned her father had died. Even then she wasn't sure it had been quite this painful. She pulled her knees to her chest and cried.

She heard the soft knocking on her door but couldn't calm herself enough to respond. The door opened and she knew who it was. Sam had mentioned to her once how troublesome it was to have Callen living with you as he hardly ever slept. She had agreed it would be annoying, but at this moment she couldn't have been more grateful.

He sat down on the bed beside her, put his arms around her and pulled her into a comforting big brother hug.

"It's okay," he said. "Just let it out."

So she did. No holding back, no trying to hide how she was feeling. Just pure, raw emotions.


	4. Chapter 4

The sun was inching towards the western horizon and would soon be casting a magnificent orange glow across the beach. The ocean waves rolled in and out, creating a kind of roaring sound as they did so. People could be heard laughing and enjoying what little daylight they had left.

A breeze came from off the ocean and she closed her eyes, inhaling it's invigorating scent. It was a smell she had grown accustomed to, and for many years growing up she hadn't thought twice about how glorious it really was. The last forty years however she spent as much time on the beach just to drink it in.

"Would you like me to take your plate for you?" She opened her eyes and smiled at the young woman standing over her.

"Oh you don't have to do that, Jess," she replied. "This is your Spring Break. You're supposed to be enjoying yourself, not waiting on a poor old woman like myself."

"But I enjoy waiting on you," Jess said and kissed her on the top of the head. It was a tradition for Jess' family to come to this beach and to bring Kensi with them. On the same day every year they came to the same beach and set up a chair in the same place for her. They would socialize with each other, catching up on what had transpired in their lives over the past twelve months. And without fail, Kensi always took some time to herself, watching the sunset in the distance.

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" Jess asked the older woman and knelt down beside her.

Kensi smiled. "Of course," she replied. "Do you know he proposed to me right here on this beach, at this very spot?"

Jess smiled. She had heard the story at least a hundred times, but she didn't mind. She had read so many romance novels, seen dozens of chick flicks, but no love story in the history of time could ever compare to that one. Not for her anyway.

"I thought he was taking me to some fancy restaurant to tell me it was over between us. Being in a relationship in our line of work was hard enough. Having that relationship with your partner was, well, complicated some days. But then he brought me here, a candlelight dinner waiting for us on the beach. We danced, and then he dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him. It was one of the happiest days of my life."

Jess took Kensi's hand. "You loved him very much, didn't you?"

A tear came to the older woman's eye. "With every fiber of my being. I still do, and I always will."

It was then that Jess' father walked over to them.

"Jess," he said. "Let's leave grandma to her thoughts, shall we?"

"Oh, she's fine," Kensi replied squeezing her granddaughter's hand. "I was just reminiscing with her is all."

Her son smiled and Kensi smiled back. Marty Deeks, Jr. was the spitting image of his father, right down to the shaggy blonde hair and cocky smile. She had been grateful for that these past thirty-nine years. While it hadn't made the pain of loss go away completely, it made it easier to bear. He had followed his father's footsteps and became an officer with LAPD. Kensi remembered telling him he didn't have to do it for his father, that the senior Deeks would have been proud of whatever career he chose, but he stuck with it and still to this day proclaims it was the best decision of his life.

"Somebody decide to move the party over here and not tell us?" Jess' mother came strolling over with their two sons trailing behind. Her protruding belly made the trip a little more difficult than usual but she made it just the same. Marty gave her a kiss.

"You didn't have to come all the way over here," he told her. "You're going to have that baby right here on the beach."

"Good," she said. "I was ready for this baby girl to come last week, but she's just taking her sweet time."

"Sounds like her big sister," Marty replied with a chuckle. Jess laughed.

"She and I will get along just fine then."

A woman with dark hair wearing a sun dress came over to the crowd of people.

"Sorry I'm late," she said. "Is there any food left?"

"Yeah, but you'd better hurry," Marty said motioning towards the food. "Your son is liable to devour whatever is left."

"That boy. I swear he could eat an elephant and still be hungry."

Kensi opened her arms to the woman and she leaned down to hug her.

"It's good to see you mom," she said with a smile.

"It's good to see you too, Julie Dawn," Kensi replied. "How was Paris?"

"Beautiful. Wish you could have come."

"I appreciate that, but I had things to do."

"I know. Maybe next year we'll take you to the Bahamas."

Kensi laughed. "That would be wonderful."

"If you lovely people will excuse me," she said. "I'm going to rustle up some grub before my son inhales it all."

Julie Dawn hurried over to the table where her twenty year old son was sitting. Marty shook his head as his sister love tapped the back of her son's head.

"That Julie Dawn," he said. "Would you believe we're related?"

"Well I did give birth to the both of you," Kensi answered with a smile.

"At least I'm older."

"Right," Jess said. "A whole three minutes older."

"Which means I'll always be three minutes wiser than her."

They all laughed. It had been a running joke in the family which of the twins was wiser than the other and Marty had used those extra three minutes of life he had as his argument every time.

"It's getting late," his wife said. "We should probably start packing everything up."

"Yes, dear." Marty looked at his mother. "Would you like a few more minutes?"

"If you don't mind," she replied.

He nodded. "Alright. Jess, boys, let's give your grandma some time." And with that the little family walked back to the table.

Kensi smiled after them. She had told Jess that the day Deeks proposed was one of the happiest days of her life. Learning that she was pregnant with his child, and later discovering it was twins, had been two more of those days. It hadn't been easy, going through the pregnancy and raising them without him, but she hadn't been alone. Callen, Sam, Eric, Nell, and even Hetty had made sure of that. They had become as much a part of her children's lives as she was.

There was a small twinge of pain in her chest and for a moment she felt sad.

"I really miss you guys," she said quietly. She was the last of that team still around. Even Nell and Eric had passed on from this life before her. Sometimes she couldn't help thinking how unfair it was that she had to lose so many people close to her. But it didn't last long as she remembered her children and her grandchildren.

"They're a beautiful family, Kensi. You did a good job."

She smiled at the familiar voice. "I couldn't have done it without all of you." She looked to where she imagined Hetty would be standing were she really there. "You all helped me through so much. I don't know how I could ever truly thank you."

She imagined Hetty smiling. "You don't have to," she said and Kensi noticed that her voice seemed more clear than it normally did when she had these imaginary conversations with her former boss. "We know you're grateful. We always did."

"You seem different," Kensi said as she took in Hetty's image. She looked considerably younger than Kensi ever remembered her being. Perhaps old age was finally catching up to her.

"So do you," Hetty replied. Kensi chuckled.

"Age does that to a woman," she told her.

"I don't think it's that." Hetty sat down and the two women stared out at the setting sun.

"This can't be healthy, can it?"

Hetty looked over at Kensi, confusion on her face.

"Me, talking to you like you're really here. Pretty soon I'll be seeing all kinds of things and they'll have me admitted somewhere."

Hetty watched her carefully. "You don't know what's going on, do you?" she inquired.

Kensi looked at her. Now it was her turn to be confused.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

Hetty turned her attention back to the ocean and Kensi gasped. At first she thought perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her—she'd never imagined them all there at once before—or perhaps it was some trick of the light and the people in front of her were some poor innocent beach patrons. But, there they were, smiling at her and looking just as they did the first day she met them.

"Callen," Kensi said slowly rising to her feet. "Sam, Eric, Nell." Even Dom and Renko were there.

"Hey Kenz," Sam said. "It's been a long time."

The tears were falling down her face freely now. "Too long."

"We won't argue with that," Callen replied.

Hetty came and stood beside her. "We've all been waiting for quite some time," she said. "Some longer than others."

As if on cue someone else came into view and Kensi grinned.

"Dad," she said and gave the man a hug.

"Oh honey," he said as he held her tightly. "It's so good to see you again."

"I've missed you so much," she said as she cried into his shoulder.

"I know baby, I know. But you don't have to miss me, not anymore."

She pulled back and searched his eyes, trying to understand, but he simply smiled.

"Like I said," Hetty continued. "Some of us have been waiting longer than others." She paused, then smiled. "And some of us have been more anxious than others."

Kensi looked around at the smiling faces of her friends, wondering what Hetty could possibly mean. And then it dawned on her.

Before she could say what she was thinking her friends moved to make way for the last visitor. Her suspicions were confirmed by those shaggy blonde locks and cocky grin.

"Deeks," she sobbed. She wanted to run to him, wrap her arms around him and tell him how much she loved him. But something was stopping her.

"Kenz?" Deeks asked. "What is it?"

"I'm afraid," she finally admitted. "Afraid this is all a dream, a wonderful dream and you'll all disappear when I wake up."

Deeks smiled and held his hand out to her. "It's okay," he said. "We're here, and we're not going anywhere."

She hesitated for a moment, and then slowly placed her hand in his. She was surprised to find a beautiful vibrant hand where the old, wrinkled, sun spotted hand she had grown accustomed to should have been. She looked at her other hand and found it just as youthful as the other. Touching her face she discovered the age and wearing of life had fully dissipated, leaving behind the youthful image she'd maintained as a Junior Agent.

Suddenly, she understood what was happening. She turned to look at the beach chair she had been sitting in earlier. She was still there, or at least her frail, aged body was. It was strange, looking at the image she had come to recognize as her own and knowing that she did not look like that anymore. Knowing that she never would look like that again.

She thought of her family and looked over at them. They had just finished cleaning everything up and Jess was on her way back to tell Kensi it was time to go.

_No,_ she thought to herself. _She'll be heartbroken if she sees I've died._

She felt pressure on her hand and looked at Deeks. He smiled at her, knowing.

"They'll be alright," he assured her. "They had a strong mother who raised them right."

She smiled at him. It took a moment, but she knew they really would be alright. She turned to look back at them one more time.

"It's time to go, Kenz."

Kensi looked back at Deeks. They held each others gaze and she knew she was ready. She nodded.

Deeks stepped closer to her until they were just inches apart. There had been several times when the opportunity to remarry had presented itself, but when she took the time to think about it, Kensi knew there was only one man in the universe who could ever make her truly happy. So for forty years she waited. Forty long years she waited to be close to him again, and standing with him now, she knew it had been worth every second.

"Mrs. Marty Deeks," he said smiling at her. "I was right; it is the best sound in the world."

Kensi thought of how to respond, tried to come up with some witty comeback. In the end, there was only one thing she could say.

"I love you forever, Marty Deeks."

It was a simple phrase and easy enough to say, yet it held more power and meaning now than anything she had ever experienced in her lifetime.

Deeks smiled and put both arms around his wife.

"Forever and always," he said.

He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, the first kiss of many to be given throughout eternity.

THE END


End file.
